In making the case for the important role played by Touch, Feldenkrais (1981, p. 5) notes that words can hide—however body (touch) can never hide:
Words, as somebody said, are more to hide our intentions than to express them. But I have never met anybody, man or animal, who cannot tell a friendly touch from an evil one. Touching, if unfriendly even in thought, will make the touched stiff, anxious, expecting the worst, and therefore unreceptive to your touch. Through touch, two persons, the toucher and the touched, can become a new ensemble: two bodies when connected by two arms and hands area new entity. These hands sense at the same time as they direct.
I would push the analysis even further by suggesting that the “authority” to Touch another person is very important regarding all manner of social interactions. We touch other people by shaking their hand, giving them a hug, or simply touching their hand or shoulder. In recent years the matter of touch has taken on greater significance. Who can we touch and who can’t we touch? In what way, if any, can we touch other people? Politicians are allowed (even encouraged) to shake hands and perhaps a pat on the back and a hug for those who are close associates—but nothing more (as we know from some actual or threatened scandals). Gender, age and nature of relationship play a critical role. Social norms, conventions and even legal rules inform our touching behavior—as does the role we might be playing as a “professional.”
In the health care sector, for instance, some medical professionals (such as doctors and nurses) can “touch” a patient, while this is “off-limits” (other than handshakes) to administrative staff, technical support people and most volunteers. Teachers can’t touch their students, not can psychotherapists, lawyers, financial planners or architects (to mention just a few of the professions). Veterinarians can touch our pet – but not us! Those who cut or dress hair can touch (but not below the head), while physical therapists have full reign to touch most parts of our body. This is where Feldenkrais enters the picture as someone doing “physical therapy.” He can not only touch his clients, but also encourage them to touch and be touched by other people. It is all quite complicated—and seems to always be in flux.
Speech
Feldenkrais (1981, p. 143) goes on to trace out implications of non-verbal functions (particularly tone of speech) that are operating in the human body for psychotherapy:
Download Article 1K ClubMany things are not obvious. Most psychotherapies use speech to get to unconscious, forgotten, early experience. Yet feelings go on in ourselves long before speech is learned. Some pay attention not to what is said but to how it is said. Doing this enables one to find the intentions behind the structure of the phrasing, so that one can get to the feelings that dictated the particular way of phrasing. In short, how one says what one does is at least as important as what one says.
